Chronomaster

Chronomaster is a point-and-click adventure game developed by DreamForge Entertainment studio. The game was created under the supervision of Roger Zelazny - a famous writer, who watched over its story, and was also responsible for its general design and created selected puzzles.

Plot

Chronomaster takes us on a journey to a futuristic universe where humanity has mastered the art of creating new universes called "pocket universes". Each of them is designed from scratch, according to the preferences of its owner and is characterised by a unique appearance and its own laws of physics. The main protagonist of the game is Rene Korda, the titular Chronomaster. When time stopped in two of these universes, the Terran regional government decided to rely on his skills and commission him to investigate the matter, find the people responsible for their "temporary standstill" and restore the old order in them.

Mechanics

In Chronomaster we observe the action from various angles. During the game we have to visit a number of planets in each of the universes, reach their north poles and find the so-called world keys, used to stop and set time in motion. The path to them, however, is long and bumpy; not only do we have to solve a number of complex riddles to get to them, but the keys themselves are guarded by unique puzzles. It is worth noting that during the gameplay we can come across both riddles, the solving of which is necessary to move the plot forward, as well as side puzzles, which, for example, broaden our knowledge of the given world.

It's true that the universes we visit are in stasis, but Korda has at his disposal the so-called time in a bottle, which is a special container that when opened creates a kind of "bubble" around it, where time flows normally. It is used to set in motion events which take place near him (which is why you should not try to approach a person holding a gun or other potential threats with it), as well as to activate various devices, among other things. Korda is also aided by a multi-tool with a number of useful features, a personal assistant named Jester, his student Milo, who survived a pirate attack on his world, and a flying robot who, while not very helpful, can make you laugh with his expressions.

Technical aspects

At the time of its release, Chronomaster graphics was impressive. Even today, the voice acting is still appealing, with Ron Perlman leading the way as the voice of Korda.

Additional info

Chronomaster was the last known work on which Roger Zelazny worked. The writer died during its production process. In 1996, the game received a book adaptation in the form of a novel by Jane Lindskold.